Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will face Paris Saint-Germain on June 29 in the Club World Cup’s Round of 16 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a mammoth occasion that will see the footballing icon face his former club for the first time since leaving the French giant in 2023.
Needing at least a point against Palmeiras in their final group stage match on Monday in South Florida, the Herons opened up a 2-0 lead behind a Tadeo Allende 16th-minute tally and a dazzling Luis Suarez goal with 25 minutes remaining as they sought to win Group A outright. But Paulinho (80′) and MaurÃcio (87′) put Palmeiras back on level terms as the match ended 2-2, with Verdaõ clinching the top spot in the group and Miami dropping to second.
Meanwhile, PSG, who defeated the Seattle Sounders 2-0 in the Pacific Northwest, emerged atop Group A on goal differential after ending the group stage level on points with second-place finisher Botafogo and Atlético Madrid (6 points). Botafogo, despite a 1-0 loss to Atleti, still secured passage to the knockout round thanks to its own goal differential edge over the La Liga outfit.
That now sets up a show-stopping high noon showdown at the Benz on Sunday between PSG, who won the UEFA Champions League final on May 31, and Inter Miami, Messi’s home since his departure from the French capital after 2 seasons. The winner advances to July 5’s quarterfinal match in Atlanta against either Flamengo or the runner-up of Group C. Benfica currently sit in second in Group C ahead of Tuesday’s match against group-leading Bayern Munich.
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I was very wrong. Really wrong. I never thought Miami could play Porto FC, much less Palmeiras, and here they are. Amazing performance.
I hope my dear Atlantistas are watching the World Cup, and I do hope you watch the next rounds. There is some serious football going on, and one of the interesting things is to be able to see how football in Brazil has evolved, via a lot more money, and a much more competitive Serie A in the last years. Today, Br teams are real South Americans selections, very well coached. Something of what Atlanta was becoming in 2018. When you see Botafogo beat PSG, or Flamengo beat Chelsea, you can see where this is going.
I think MLS should take note, and follow Inter Miami. And I do hope Atlanta gets a proper manager, to begin with.
Whether we like it or not, Miami has shown to me they are a very good team. I think this tournament will make them win MLS cup. They are way ahead of the rest of MLs
MLS will characterize Miami’s run as proof the league is on the rise, but overall it has been a weak tournament for MLS. LA and Seattle have been relatively competitive (in terms of not being completely outclassed), but have not earned even a single point, if I recall correctly.
Miami is doing relatively well because they have an aging but still great player who is by far the highest paid in the league because of a special arrangement afforded to him but no one else. That player has been able to attract a few other very good players to the squad at far less than market rates. As a result, Miami was able to advance out of group stage.
This is an anomaly that is unlikely to be repeated, but I doubt MLS will look at it that way. The real lesson of the Cup is that in order to compete at the highest levels, MLS must spend a lot more on players – eliminate the salary cap and institute a floor that all team must meet.
Otherwise, future cups will feature 3 MLS teams with none surviving the group stage.
hard to even care about this match. PSG might be worth watching, but not Miami
don’t like the idea of Miami being talked about as much as Atlanta on an Atlanta United blog page…maybe any a short article about Jay Fortune possibly being out for the year?
There’s an article about Fortune posted now. He’s done for the year, sadly.
Ugh…Miami